Israel has a right to decide what is in its best interest in dealing with Iran’s nuclear ambitions U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has said.

In an interview on ABC’s “This Week” program, Biden said Israel can determine for itself how best to deal with the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.

VP Joe Biden

“We cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do when they make a determination, if they make a determination, that they’re existentially threatened,” Biden said.

“If the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action different than the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right to do that. That is not our choice,” Biden said.

“But there is no pressure from any nation that’s going to alter our behavior as to how to proceed.”

Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, said neither the United States or Israel could allow Iran to gain a nuclear weapon.

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“The U.S., like Israel … has determined unequivocally that Iran must not have nuclear military capability,” Ayalon told Israel’s Army Radio.

“A military operation in Iran is something difficult and complex and perhaps would have severe consequences and there could be serious damage, but this is much less dangerous and complicated than to allow a nuclear Iran,” he said.

Netanyahu, who took office in March, has said Israel cannot allow Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons and has not ruled out a possible military strike against Iran.

Israel has said a nuclear-armed Iran would be a threat to its existence, noting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s calls for Israel to be wiped off the map. Iran denies it is enriching uranium for military purposes, saying its nuclear development is aimed at generating electricity.